Steve on stage with Mish at Finale
To celebrate Men’s Health Week, we’re shining the spotlight on some of our AMAZING 12WBT men.
We’ve had loads of men join – and smash – 12WBT. They’ve shown us that age, starting weight, health history or love of sausage rolls hasn’t stopped them showing up, committing to Mish and the team, and giving it their all.
Jeff’s 12WBT Health Journey
Jeff’s wake-up call came when he was hanging from a tree during a treetop adventure course his wife had bought him for his 41st birthday. His weight and lack of fitness meant he couldn’t finish the course. Fed up, he signed up to 12WBT. He was astonished at how much he could actually eat on the program and how much better he felt when he made the right food choices. “Now, breakfast is a big part of my day,” he says. “And I take a bag full of food to work every day. Everyone’s amazed at how much I eat throughout the day!”
He got into the exercise as well. “I started smashing out Michelle Bridges’ online cardio videos. At first, it felt weird as a man doing videos in the garage, but I started to love them.” All Jeff’s hard work paid off – he lost 16kg in his first Round. His advice? “If you can get the support of your friends and family, it makes all the difference because you don’t have mates trying to force another beer into you. And if you can get your partner behind you, that’s everything.” Read Jeff’s success story.
David Loves his 12WBT Workouts
David (left) and his partner Michael looking fit and happy!
In his early 20s, David’s weight had been creeping up for a few years. After leaving high school weighing 102kg, he’d joined a gym and dropped some weight. “I didn’t do it in the healthiest way though,” he says. “I skipped meals and didn’t know what was healthy or unhealthy food . I barely ate any vegetables – the only one I ate was potato.”
So he started 12WBT, throwing himself into the Pre-Season Tasks and getting surprisingly enthusiastic when he discovered he’d need to exercise six days a week. “That was a shock, but I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is actually going to work – no-one could do six days a week of workouts and not have results.’ So that just got me more excited,” he says. “I’ve tried a lot of food for the first time since starting 12WBT,” he says. “I even got a mention from Michelle because I’d posted on the Forums that I’d eaten my first banana. She wrote, ‘Big shout-out to Dave87 for having your first banana. Way to go!’ I was 24!”
Steve Took his Health Into his Own Hands
Steve, a father of four, used food to deal with his emotions. He was spending $500 a week on food and struggling with an eating disorder. “I used to buy a family bucket of KFC and sit in the car park, gorge myself on it and then go home, have dinner and throw up,” he reveals. “Every single emotion I had, I’d deal with it with food. I was bulimic, but I’ve only really told people about it recently. As a guy, it’s especially hard to talk about, because I felt that having an eating disorder was a weakness.”
Starting 12WBT, he felt hopeless. “But then I thought, no, there must be other people out there who feel like this. I jumped on the Men’s Locker Room 12WBT Forum and wrote exactly how I was feeling. Within an hour there were hundreds of people there encouraging me and sharing their own stories.”
The 12WBT Forums, Steve says, have been critical to his success – and the fact that he can now run three and half kilometres. “I would have given up without the Forums,” he says. “It’s our job as a community to back people up. If I, at 153 kilos, can get off my arse and do it, anyone can.” In just seven months and two and a half Rounds, Steve has lost 54 kilos, weighs 99kg and has completely turned his life around. Read Steve’s success story.
How Many Calories Do Men Need Anyway?
Calorie counting isn’t just for women! It’s important for men to have the right calories for their goals – but many blokes don’t know where to start. Read our guide on how many calories men need, and what the best foods are to get them.
We have men in almost all our 12WBT programs – including Beginner, Learn to Run and Lean and Strong!
